ThiruvananthapuramAug 13, 2025 08:12 IST
First published on: Aug 13, 2025 at 07:46 IST
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Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s accusations of “vote theft” have found resonance in Kerala, where the Congress has alleged that the electoral rolls in the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat were “manipulated in favour of BJP candidate and actor-turned-political Suresh Gopi”, who went on to become the BJP’s first-ever MP from the state.
The Congress on Tuesday filed a complaint against Gopi and demanded a case be registered against him for furnishing a false declaration to be included in the voter list of the constituency.
Calling for a probe into the matter, former Congress MP T N Prathapan, who had defeated Gopi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and filed the complaint on behalf of the party, said, “The BJP brought people from outside and included them as voters residing in rented houses. During the elections too, we had complained to the Returning Officer, but the issue has come into focus now after Rahul Gandhi raised it.”
Accusing Gopi of furnishing a false declaration that said he had stayed in the constituency for six months – a requirement necessary to be included in the voter list – Prathapan claimed the actor-turned-politician, along with 11 of his family members, was added to the electoral rolls after the final list was published. “We demand that his vote in Thrissur be cancelled,” he added.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had zeroed in on Thrissur, along with Attingal, Pathanamthitta and Thiruvananthapuram, in its bid to break its jinx in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself launched the party’s campaign in Thrissur with a rally and a roadshow.
Gopi was fielded in 2024 on account of his success in bettering the BJP’s vote share in Thrissur from 11.15% in 2014 to 28.2% in 2019, when fielded last time. The BJP also counted on his “star status” as well as the fact that the actor-turned-politician was seen to have cordial relations with the Christian community, which forms almost 24% of the electorate in Thrissur. Last year, he went on to win the seat by a margin of over 74,000 votes with a 37.8% vote share.
The ruling CPI(M) has also joined the chorus of alleged electoral fraud with general secretary M A Baby accusing the BJP of “adding 3,000 votes in the (Thrissur) constituency”. “They (fake voters) voted in Assembly segments near Thrissur and also cast their vote in the city using fake addresses. The Election Commission (EC) should explain why it happened,” he said.
Claiming that “eight to 15 voters were included in several apartments in the district”, state General Education Minister V Sivankutty went a step ahead and demanded the EC to conduct a repoll in the wake of the alleged “discrepancies”.
While Gopi is yet to respond to the allegations, BJP state general secretary M T Ramesh said the party’s victory in Thrissur was made possible due to the “hard work of workers”. “Voters were included in the electoral rolls as per the norms laid down by the EC. Gopi and his family members’ names were added to the list in Thrissur only after they were removed from the rolls in Thiruvananthapuram. Both the Congress and CPI(M) are unable to digest the shock of defeat. They should accept reality,” he added.